Busch Gardens welcomes baby giraffes

The Associated Press

August 21, 2013 03:01 AM

The Associated Press

August 21, 2013 03:01 AM

Busch Gardens has welcomed two baby giraffes this summer.

The Tampa theme park reports that a 15-year-old named Cupid gave birth to her seventh calf on June 11. The baby male weighed 188 pounds and was more than 6 feet tall. The next week, an 18-year-old named Tesa gave birth to her sixth calf on June 19. The 5-foot-8-inch female weighed 145 pounds.

Both reticulate giraffe calves were standing within an hour of their births.

Giraffes are the tallest mammal on Earth, with males standing close to 18 feet tall and females close to 16 feet. The gestation period for a giraffe is between 14 and 15 months.